A known detecting element or gas sensor of, shown in German Published Patent Application No. 101 51 291 at FIG. 2, has a housing accommodating the sensor element, the connecting end section of the housing supporting the connecting end section of the sensor element having contact surfaces. The sensor element also includes a reference gas channel whose connecting end section ends in the interior of the connecting end housing section. The sensor element contact surfaces are electrically connected to contact parts which establish electrical connections to connecting cables via crimp joints. The connecting cables are routed from the housing through a gas-tight cable bushing that terminates the housing opening. A pot-shaped supporting element made of a high-temperature-resistant plastic, whose external surface is tapered in the direction of the pot opening, is provided in the contact area of the housing section. The inside sleeve has a plurality of radial openings in the tapered area. A gas-permeable hose which covers the radial openings is provided over the inside sleeve. Multiple radial openings, which are preferably aligned with the radial openings in the inside sleeve, are also provided in the housing so that a reference gas, e.g., ambient air, surrounding the outside of the housing can pass through the porous hose and enter the interior of the connecting-end housing section along the tapered supporting element via the radial openings in the inside sleeve. These design characteristics enable the reference gas to flow freely, thus preventing the gas sensor measurement results from being corrupted as a result of an excessively low or excessively high concentration of the reference gas and simultaneously preventing gushing water from penetrating the housing, which would cause the gas sensor to fail.
Another known detecting element, in particular for determining the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas of internal combustion engines is shown in German Published Patent Application No. 198 35 345 and has a sensor element which is axially located in a metal housing and is contacted on its connecting end section by at least one connecting cable which is axially routed from the housing through a bush element. The connecting cable has insulation that includes a gas-permeable area, permitting the reference atmosphere surrounding the housing to enter the interior of the cable insulation, from where it reaches the housing interior. The gas-permeable area of the cable insulation, which is immediately adjacent to the cable-output end of the bush element, is surrounded by a porous hose made of a gas-permeable PTFE material so that a radial clearance remains between the porous PTFE hose and the gas-permeable section of the cable insulation. An internal clamping sleeve, which has at least one radial hole in its section immediately adjacent to the bush element, is provided over the cable insulation above the bush element, maintaining a radial clearance. This internal clamping sleeve is inserted into one end of the hose made of PTFE material, while the other end of the hose is located between the bush element and an external clamping sleeve surrounding the bush element. The external clamping sleeve also has multiple radial holes. All structural components are interconnected in a gas-tight manner by applying caulking around the external clamping sleeve twice, leaving an axial clearance: once above the radial holes and once below them.